The Sight of Lovers
by MissAlexVause
Summary: A collection of one-shots focussing on Patsy and Delia's life living together. Hopefully a bit of an antidote to the events and ending of 4x08.
1. Exhaustion

**A/N: Post season finale feelings: I'm in shock. I'm angry. And I feel genuinely let down by the fact that Heidi, as much as I love her, took the easy way out. If anyone wants to discuss it then I'm more than happy to, as there is a LOT to talk about! I've started this as a "what might have been" fic to help us all cope - it'll be a series of at least vaguely connected one-shots, as I work a lot better with short stories than continuous fics, and I hope everyone enjoys them. **

**If anybody's curious, the title was taken from one of my favourite Shakespeare quotes: "the sight of lovers feedeth those in love." Haven't a clue why I like it so much, but there you have it. Reviews are always lovely!**

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Delia Busby was, in a word, exhausted.

Normally it was Patsy who came home at all hours after a night shift, but today it had been her turn, having had to cover an all-night shift at the last minute after one of the nurses had come down with a fever. The ten minute walk from the hospital to their flat feels like miles, each step causing her even more fatigue than the last, and when she reaches her intended destination, she has to take a second to lean against the door. Fumbling about with the key in the lock, she realises she hasn't even stopped to rest in about twenty hours - no wonder she's so bloody tired.

According to her watch, it's about half past five in the morning, meaning Patsy's most likely asleep. She creeps around quietly, wincing every time a floorboard creeks and checks she hasn't woken her girlfriend, finding a pair of pyjamas on the floor and changing into them quickly. It isn't until she has them on that she realises they belong to Patsy - considering the four inch height difference, it's no wonder they feel too big, yet she can't be bothered to change them now, nor does she particularly want to. They're warm, soft, and smell like the woman she loves, giving them immediate bonus points as she does up the last button.

They've got two beds, to avoid suspicion if anybody comes around, and she briefly considers sleeping in the spare one just to make sure she doesn't disturb Patsy. But then she thinks of the warmth that seems to radiate from her, the way they fit together, and the idea is soon long gone, as she tiptoes over and gently slides under the covers.

It's barely been five seconds before one of Patsy's eyes slowly opens to meet hers, a smile tugging at barely-awake lips. The eye closes again as arms change positions to draw Delia closer, wrapping around her completely, as is routine when it comes to sleeping now.

"I thought you'd never come home."

Delia moves forwards to rest her head in the crook of Patsy's neck, feeling a kiss pressed to the top of it. "You'd better have been sleeping before I got here, I know you're on duty all day tomorrow."

"Mm, I think I have. I keep drifting between asleep and awake, it feels odd to be sleeping alone again. How's the evening been?"

"Suitably boring, I spent most of it thinking about you and our weekend plans. It took all my strength not to fall asleep there and then, but Dorothy Thistle was there - you must remember her, the tall one with the black hair, always carrying a cigarette tucked in her sleeve - and you know what she's like."

Patsy smiles and nods, remembering her first encounter with the nurse. "She was worse than I ever was. Nice girl, but I'll forever remember the time you drifted off during one of your shifts. I wasn't convinced you were going to come out of that one alive."

Delia giggles at the memory. "I remember wondering whether it was physically possible for her to shout any louder. And then of course you walked by, and all I could do was laugh at the look on your face. I'm surprised she didn't evaporate on the spot."

"She probably did, once we were out of the way. You certainly didn't make that mistake twice."

"Or at least, when I did, you were always there to wake me up in time."

By this point they've shuffled around a bit, so that Patsy's in front of Delia, arms on top of the pair wrapped tightly around her waist. Delia rests her head on the top of Patsy's spine, sighing gently. "Do you ever wonder where we'd be if we hadn't found somewhere like this, to just...be?"

She hears Patsy exhale and feels her nod before anything else. "We'd be exactly where we were, stuck in a rut. And thank God we got out of it, because if I didn't have you, I don't know what would have happened."

"I considered following you to Nonnatus, you know. Taking up midwifery and waving goodbye to our old life entirely."

Patsy shuffles around to face her, bring a hand up to gently stroke a thumb over Delia's cheek. "You never told me that."

Delia shrugs, mirroring her movements and using her free hand to pull the duvet over their shoulders again. "I wasn't thinking straight at the time. As much as I love you and your careful ways, you know we'd have been caught almost instantly, especially after the suspicions back at the nurses home. Plus, as you know, I have a deep-rooted dislike for screaming children."

"You do make a fair point there. They'd have been on to us in seconds, and although you're a brilliant nurse, I can't imagine you putting up with crying babies for hours on end."

"Well, you're not wrong," Delia replies, leaning forwards to brush her lips against Patsy's, feeling a hand gently thread itself through her hair. It doesn't matter how many times they kiss each other goodnight, each and every one makes her feel as if she's just run a marathon; excitable and breathless. She'll never tire of kissing Patsy, no matter how old they both get, it's a feeling she can't replace, and one that nothing even comes close to.

"You know I could talk to you for hours, but I really think we ought to get some sort of sleep tonight."

Patsy sighs, knowing Delia's being sensible, but wishing she wasn't all the same. "I suppose you're right, I've got an early shift tomorrow. D'you think Sister Julienne would let me off for a day? I'll say we're still getting used to it here," she adds, words slurring together in her weariness.

"No, she won't, and you love your job, you'll be fine. I'll still be here when you wake up, it's not the end of the world."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I know that too," Patsy says with a wink, feigning ignorance when Delia gives her arm a playful push.

"Here's me trying to act sweet and romantic, and I don't even get an 'I love you too'. Unbelievable." Delia turns away from her in mock-annoyance, glad the dark masks the cheek-splitting grin on her face, which only widens as she feels a kiss to the base of her neck and an arm rest itself across the dip of her waist.

"I love you more than anything or anyone, and you know it," Patsy whispers, her lips lightly grazing her girlfriend's ear. Delia turns her head just enough to capture them with her own, settling herself neatly underneath the duvet.

"I love you too, Pats. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


	2. Dinner and a Puzzle

**A/****N: I can't promise to stick to a solid update schedule, but I'll aim for once a week and see how it goes. Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews, I hope everyone's having a good day, and enjoy!**

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"Pats, what's an eight letter word for harmless?"

"Gentle?"

"Sounds good."

Their evenings are often spent like this - curled up together under a duvet with a crossword puzzle each. They've made it a challenge to finally complete one - normally there's always five or six words left over, no matter how hard they try. Patsy even came home with a dictionary at one point, determined to find out what a five letter word for "feeling or showing extreme anger" was (it was 'irate').

It was always nice for them to come home after their respective long days and spend an hour or so working through one, especially in the winter, when the days and nights were fiercely cold. Patsy would build up a fire while she waited for Delia to get home from her evening shift. Once she did, they'd have a bite to eat and then cosy up together with the latest issue of The Guardian.

So it seemed rather odd for Delia to be the first one home, after Patsy had been called out on an emergency when Sister Winifred came down with a fever. She knew the routine, of course - fire in the fireplace, kettle on, duvet ready, but she felt like doing a little bit extra, as Patsy often does for her. Cleaning is out of the question, it's definitely Patsy's area, and Delia is frankly exhausted, but her mind soon wanders to various moments from the past, until she settles on one of her favourites.

She gets to work, setting out a couple of her favourite plates and moving the jug that sits so faithfully on their windowsill to the table, filling it halfway with water and placing some of the daffodils she bought on the way home in it. She checks the time, making sure she'll be back not long before Patsy gets home, and sets off for the parade of shops and restaurants not far from the pier. Delia finds her target easily - the fish and chip shop they went to the night they ate dinner together in the chapel - and greets Mrs Aldrington with a smile as she places her order. She stops off at the bakery on her way home, which she's lucky to catch, as they're about ten minutes away from closing, although it results in her getting a cake for a twenty percent discount. With a spring in her step, she sets off back to the flat, glad to be able to share a proper late night meal with her girlfriend instead of their usual sandwiches or toast.

She's barely back home five minutes before she hears the key in the lock, a grin plastering itself across her face as she hears Patsy hang up her coat. Lighting the candle she's set out, she disposes of the match and heads out in to their tiny hallway to greet her. Patsy matches her grin almost immediately, leaning down to kiss Delia and slipping an arm around her waist.

"Evening, Nurse," Delia says with a smile, taking a moment to tuck a wisp of Patsy's hair behind her ear. "Dinner's ready."

Patsy looks pleasantly surprised at this. "I thought I could smell something. What's on the menu?"

Delia takes her hand and leads her through, hearing a slight intake of breath from Patsy.

"Deels, you shouldn't have gone to so much effort, you've got enough on your plate as it is."

"I know, but you're always going to extra lengths to have everything nice for when I get back, so I thought I'd return the favour while I could."

Patsy smiles at her, one of her smiles filled with love, admiration and affection, the kind of smile Delia has come to realise is reserved more or less only for her. She's noticed over the years that Patsy has a large variety of smiles - there's her cheek-splitting and excited grin, her polite smile, her reassuring smile, the list goes on, each one as beautiful as the next.

"I do love you."

"Glad to hear it," Delia says with a wink, pulling Patsy's chair out for her and walking around the table to sit herself down. Fish and chips may not be the most romantic meal out there, but it has meaning to them, and that's what matters. Idle chatter fills their room, and Delia puts one of their favourite records on halfway through, adding to the pleasant atmosphere.

It's in moments like this that Delia wonders how in the world they coped before, in their world of stolen glances and sneaking around, when they have such freedom in their privacy. She can barely remember the times where she slept without Patsy by her side, when she didn't wake up to see a pair of blue eyes drifting open with hers. She doesn't want to think about how close they'd come to just calling it off under the pressures and stresses of keeping things quiet at one point, not now, when they're so blissfully happy. She shakes her head to rid herself of the thoughts, reaching across the table to take Patsy's hand.

The rest of their dinner passes with quiet chatter, the record still playing in the back. Patsy insists on clearing their plates, while Delia finds the newspaper they've tucked away, finding a pen and getting changed for the night, the starch in her uniform beginning to rub against her neck. Patsy joins her a few minutes later, getting changed there and then, giving Delia a rather nice view of her legs as the familiar blue and white cotton hides them again. Patsy catches her staring and winks as she heads over to the bed, joining Delia underneath their duvet. Their legs are almost immediately tangled together, Patsy gently stroking her foot up the back of her calf.

It's funny, Delia thinks, the change in Patsy since they moved in together. Before it had always been her initiating the contact, always her being the braver of the two. Not that she blames Patsy, she understands the worry she feels at their situation and she'd never ask her to do anything that'd make her feel uncomfortable. Yet Patsy's turned out to be far more affectionate than she expected in their privacy, as if she's subconsciously trying to make up for the times they can't be so close.

"Six letter word for change?"

"Modify?"

Delia nods and fills it in, leaning her head against Patsy's shoulder. "I love being able to relax like this with you."

She feels Patsy press a kiss to the top of her head. "I love it too. I can barely remember before, when I'd only see you maybe twice a week. It feels like it was years ago."

Delia nods, thinking. "It does. I'm glad we can - I'd have gone mad if we'd lived the rest of our lives the way we were."

"Me too. I can't imagine it, not anymore."

They fall in to a contented silence as they finish filling out the rest of their puzzle, having to give up on four, as they can't figure any of them out, resolving to ask the nuns and midwives tomorrow. Patsy leans over to turn their lamp off as Delia slips an arm across her stomach, pressing herself close and leaning her head against the front of her shoulder again. Patsy shifts them around until she can comfortably keep her arm underneath Delia's waist without it getting sore. Delia leans up to kiss her cheek before settling down, closing her eyes and listening to Patsy's soft breathing. "Goodnight, Pats," she mumbles, hearing a faint "goodnight, Deels," as she drifts off.


End file.
